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Testing Whether Air Is Matter is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on using test results as evidence that air takes up space and has mass, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-PS1-1. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 4 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Testing Whether Air Is Matter

5-PS1-1

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Testing Whether Air Is Matter

Results from four tests the class ran on air, each done twice. FOUR TESTS ON AIR Syringe, end blocked: plunger pushed from 20 ml to 12 ml, then sprang back to 20 ml when let go Soccer ball weighed flat: 418 g. Weighed again after pumping it hard: 423 g Cup with a tissue in it, pushed upside down into water: the tissue stayed dry The same cup tilted under water: bubbles rose and water went into the cup Sealed empty plastic bottle left in a freezer for an hour: its sides pulled in a little

  1. 1. Why did the tissue stay dry?
  2. 2. What would the bottle do when it warmed up again?
  3. 3. Why was each test done twice?
  4. 4. What claim does this record support?
2.Wet washing dries faster on a windy day. Why?
  • A.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
  • B.The wind makes the washing heavier
  • C.The wind adds heat from the sun
3.Why does a bicycle tire feel hard when it is pumped up?
  • A.The rubber has frozen
  • B.It is packed with air pushing outwards
  • C.The tire is empty
4.Why can you feel the air when you wave your hand quickly?
  • A.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
  • B.Your hand makes the air
  • C.Air can only be felt outdoors
5.Why does a parachute fall slowly?
  • A.Gravity stops working
  • B.Parachutes weigh nothing
  • C.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
6.A blown-up balloon is let go with its neck open. Why does it shoot off?
  • A.The balloon is magnetic
  • B.Gravity pulls it sideways
  • C.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
7.A kite stays up on a windy day. What is holding it up?
  • A.The string pushing it up
  • B.Moving air pushing against it
  • C.Nothing at all

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-1 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Testing Whether Air Is Matter

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Air trapped in the cup filled it, so the water could not get in. 2. Its sides would push back out as the air inside warmed. 3. So one odd result could not mislead the class about the tests. 4. Air is matter: air takes up space and has mass.
  2. 2.The moving air carries the water vapor away from the cloth
  3. 3.It is packed with air pushing outwards
  4. 4.Your hand is pushing against the air, which is matter
  5. 5.Air pushes up against its wide canopy
  6. 6.Air rushing out pushes it the other way
  7. 7.Moving air pushing against it

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.